Structural waterproof film and uses thereof

Abstract

Described herein are structural waterproof films comprising a composite of at least one wool sheet, the wool sheet being at least partially impregnated with a hardening resin that, when hardened, is rigid or semi-rigid and is substantially water impermeable. The films described introduce organic materials into, among many applications, water craft design plus the films described offer a useful alternative to traditional non-organic fibreglass construction.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A structural waterproof film system comprising:
 a structural waterproof film that comprises a composite of at least one wool sheet,   wherein the at least one wool sheet is at least partially impregnated with a hardening resin,   wherein when the hardening resin is hardened, is rigid or semi-rigid, the at least one wool sheet is substantially water impermeable.   
     
     
         2 . The structural waterproof film system as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the at least one wool sheet is a non-woven matrix of wool fibres. 
     
     
         3 . The structural waterproof film system as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the at least one wool sheet is fully impregnated with the hardening resin. 
     
     
         4 . The structural waterproof film system as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the structural waterproof film is 0.01 to 5 mm thick;
 wherein a wool sheet of the at least one wool sheet is 0.01 to 5 mm thick and has a density of approximately 100-S00 gm of fibres/m 2 . 
 
     
     
         5 . (canceled) 
     
     
         6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . The structural waterproof film system as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the hardening resin is a thermosetting polymer or an epoxy resin. 
     
     
         8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . The structural waterproof film system as claimed in  claim 1  further comprising:
 a watercraft device or part thereof wherein said watercraft device or part thereof comprises an internal structure and a watercraft device exterior wherein said watercraft device is configured with an outer coating layer or layers comprising said structural waterproof film over all or part of the internal structure of the watercraft device and which provides structural strength to the watercraft device exterior or part thereof. 
 
     
     
         10 . The structural waterproof film system as claimed in  claim 9  wherein the watercraft device is selected from the group consisting of: a surf board, a stand-up paddle (SUP) board, a windsurfing board, a kite board, a wake board, a knee board, a kayak, a canoe. 
     
     
         11 . The structural waterproof film system as claimed in  claim 9  wherein the watercraft device or part thereof comprises at least one boat part. 
     
     
         12 . (canceled) 
     
     
         13 . The structural waterproof film system as claimed in  claim 9  wherein the at least one outer coating layer is coupled with, and adheres to, a foam material. 
     
     
         14 . The structural waterproof film system as claimed in  claim 13  wherein the foam material is a closed cell foam. 
     
     
         15 . The structural waterproof film system as claimed in  claim 13  wherein the foam material comprises polystyrene, or polyurethane or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         16 . A method of a producing a structural waterproof film comprising a composite of at least one wool sheet, the method comprising:
 selecting the at least one wool sheet;   at least partially impregnating the at least one wool sheet with the hardening resin to form at least one resin impregnated wool sheet; and,   allowing or causing the resin to harden to form the structural waterproof film.   
     
     
         17 . The method of producing a structural waterproof film as claimed in  claim 16  wherein the method is repeated to add additional outer coating layers to the structural waterproof film. 
     
     
         18 . The method of producing a structural waterproof film as claimed in  claim 16  wherein a watercraft device or part thereof comprising an internal structure and a watercraft device exterior is created by the method comprising:
 selecting a substrate on which the at least one outer coating layer is to be applied; 
 applying the at least one resin impregnated wool sheet to at least part of the substrate to form a first outer coating layer on the substrate; 
 optionally repeating
 said selecting said at least one wool sheet and 
 said at least partially impregnating the at least one wool sheet with hardening resin and 
 said applying applying the at least one resin impregnated wool sheet to at least part of the substrate to form a first outer coating layer on the substrate, 
 to add at least one further outer coating layer to the substrate. 
 
 
     
     
         19 . The method as claimed in  claim 18  wherein the watercraft device is selected from the group consisting of: a surf board, a stand-up paddle (SUP) board, a windsurfing board, a kite board, a wake board, a knee board, a kayak, a canoe. 
     
     
         20 . The method as claimed in  claim 19  wherein the substrate is a closed cell foam. 
     
     
         21 . The method as claimed in  claim 18  wherein the watercraft device or part thereof comprises at least one boat part. 
     
     
         22 . The method as claimed in  claim 16  further comprising forcing the at least one wool sheet and the hardening resin together to cause resin impregnation of the at least one wool sheet. 
     
     
         23 . The method as claimed in  claim 22  wherein the forcing is achieved through increased pressure or use of a vacuum. 
     
     
         24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . The method as claimed in  claim 18  further
 subjecting the at least one outer coating layer and watercraft device or part thereof to a pressure or a vacuum to force the at least one outer layer onto the watercraft device or part thereof during hardening.